The False Hero, Volume 12, Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Chapter 3

----- Lutz -----

“And here we are.” I knock on a door.

Nobody answers. That’s obvious, considering there’s a boss room on the other side.

Because of the strange design of this space station dungeon, it’s possible that many of them don’t even realize that the metal surface I knocked on is even a door at all. It’s a set of electronically controlled blast doors, so it looks like a metal wall with a small slit down the center.

But with the press of a button…

“And that’s where the boss will spawn.” I scan the familiar-looking room. “It’s a little strange in design, but Lumina can explain the details before you fight it.”

The boss is a fearsome robot, but it comes along with a security system that spawns more and more laser weapons on the walls, eventually overwhelming the adventurers if left unchecked. Knowing how and when to split resources between dealing with the main robot and the security system is the most pivotal part of the battle.

Fortunately, we have enough experience fighting this boss now that it’s beginning to become routine. And with a certain princess leading the strategy, the battle is as good as over before it even begins.

However, I won’t be here for it.

“Are you certain about separating our strength?” King Kuro asks, voicing the doubts I see on several faces.

“This dungeon is one of the best places in the entire world to level up. But, like every dungeon, it takes time for the guardians to reset. The regular monsters aren’t nearly as efficient, so it’s usually best to move to another dungeon while this one is resetting. That’s why we have to conquer another dangerous dungeon, quickly. With another place for us to go, we can essentially double our leveling speed.”

“I understand the reasoning. I only hope the increased danger has been fully calculated.”

“Don’t worry, you have Lumina, Elise, Lyle, Julius, and Cyl. Each of them have fought the bosses here several times now, and they’re all more than overpowered enough to farm this dungeon. Plus you, Rena, Edgar, and Riona are really strong in your own rights. To be honest, the bosses don’t really stand a chance.”

King Kuro nods. “As expected.”

Since there was still some obvious hesitation about fighting in this dungeon without me, Kuro was actually trying to settle the doubts before they step into the boss arena. It seems to have worked, and any lingering reluctance will fade after their first victory.

“Well, like I said.” I continue onto my final topic before we separate. “We’re about a third of the way through the other dungeon already. Once we get to the final third, we’ll regroup and conquer the rest of it together. This gives all of you a chance to grind here while we’re rushing through the other dungeon, then you can go straight from here to the new one and help us finish conquering it. That means absolutely no downtime for all of you, maximizing the number of levels you can gain in the little time we have left to prepare.”

Like Kuro said, there’s an inherent danger that comes with splitting up and fighting in two dungeons at once. But there’s also an impending battle with Chaos that will determine the fate of the entire world, so we don’t exactly have the luxury of playing it safe.

I need all of you to be as strong as possible.

The more powerful the monarchs and other influential people of this world become, the more glory I can claim as a reward for making their armies that much stronger.

The more fame I get, the more people will believe in me.

And it’s through that faith that I will unlock my final Heroic Skill.

At least, I hope that’s how it goes…

“Then, if there aren’t any more questions, we’ll be heading out.” I look around the large group, but nobody speaks up. “We’ll meet up again soon, so until then, just focus on getting stronger.”

With that, the world goes dark once again.

When our vision returns, all the sub parties are gone, leaving only the people who are in my main party. Laya, Alisha, Belle, and Tylith are obviously here, as is Frei.

But I have a total of four kings with me, as well. From strongest to weakest, they are King Akuma of Agrium, King Bramir of Eshia, King Matias of Vastela, and King Gareth of Flana.

[Adding the world map here so you can get a refresher on the locations of all the kingdoms and will be able to keep up with the geographical aspect of the upcoming discussion.

Also keep in mind that the Northern Cathedral (which can be seen just above the second 'a' in 'Flana') is under the control of Chaos now. So it's Flana's king, Gareth, who has had about 3/4 of his kingdom taken from him.]

King Edgar of Orakio and King Kuro of Belfast are in the sub parties, so they’re fighting in the other dungeon.

The reason I have so many monarchs with me isn’t because I like them. Rather, there’s a more practical reason why I’m keeping them by my side.

“Since we’re all in agreement that defeating Chaos is the only thing that matters,” I say. “Then let’s use this chance to improve our teamwork.”

“I only care about one thing,” Akuma says. “Getting stronger.”

“I can’t complain about your motivation but at least try talking to your fellow rulers.” I step onto a rocky path that leads down into a canyon. “You have to at least have a trade route with the other kingdoms, right?”

“Sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Orakio sits between our two kingdoms,” Bramir says.

King Edgar’s country, Orakio, is by far the largest of the kingdoms on the continent. It runs from the western ocean all the way to the elven lands in the east, completely cutting off the beastkin kingdoms in the south from the other human kingdoms in the north.

With a third party sitting between their respective countries, the beastkin king, Akuma, would likely be forced to pay a heavy tax at best or have his merchants refused entry at worst. With such uncertainty on the availability of their trade route, it’s no wonder the two beastkin kingdoms rarely trade with the northern human kingdoms.

The exception would be Belfast, as they have relatively easy access to the human kingdom of Vastela in the north by sailing around the Western Peninsula. Unfortunately, that peninsula is precisely the spot the Lord of Chaos has been using as his main base since the war began.

“Trade is an important part of keeping up as the world advances,” I say. “That’s why I’m trying to get the elves to trade with the other races. And I intend to facilitate even more trade after the war is over, so you should assume that you’ll have easier access to foreign markets soon, both human and elven.”

I step off the trail and into the canyon, the rocky walls rising up on both sides. Although there weren’t any monsters on the short walk to the canyon, the dungeon won’t be so generous from here onward.

In truth, this dungeon is a small mountain. Or more like a large hill, as it lacks the truly imposing size one might imagine when thinking of a mountain, even if it looks like one in every aspect but its height.

Still, it’s a rough climb up some steep slopes filled with monsters dangerous enough to wipe out even some S-Class adventurer parties. That’s why we rushed through that section of the dungeon until we reached the center of the mountain, where this canyon sits, looking like a large scar made from a weapon of inhuman size.

It’s here that the dungeon truly shines, as it’s a relatively straightforward trek through the canyon filled with hordes of monsters, which translates to massive amounts of experience for anyone who hasn’t outleveled the area already.

Unfortunately for us, we don’t get experience from these monsters anymore. They’re all between levels 68 and 74, whereas I’m level 86. So for us, the only real way to gain experience points is to defeat bosses.

The four kings I brought along can still gain levels here, though. And the two weakest kings, Matias and Gareth, will grow really fast here. Considering they each lead national armies, I can’t risk them falling in battle and demoralizing their men. Hence, it’s a priority for them to become as strong as possible.

That said, I’m still going to rush through this canyon section as efficiently as possible. We’ve got a schedule to keep, after all.

As the first group of giants spots us, I’m already calculating a path through the canyon that allows us to move as quickly as we can while fighting as many monsters as possible.

A cyclops leads the giants, the massive creature hurling a boulder nearly the size of my body. That one attack would be enough to flatten nearly any adventurer or soldier that takes a direct hit.

But I don’t spare it a glance.

“You should try skipping stones on water, not land!” Alisha gives the cyclops some advice as she blocks the boulder with her shield.

There’s absolutely nothing strange about seeing her deflect a stone the same size as her own body. It’s a simple calculation of the power from the monster’s attack versus Alisha’s defensive abilities.

The laws of physics need not apply.

Although it’s clear to me that Alisha will have no trouble blocking it, the four monarchs we have with us aren’t so trusting. They each take a defensive stance, as if expecting the boulder to slam into us and deal some real damage.

Instead, they’re treated to the sight of Alisha harmlessly knocking the oversized stone away.

“With that, [Protector] has activated. And so…” I take my spear out from my [Inventory]. “The extermination can begin.”